LONELY FANS | Omeleto

A shy mechanic who is obsessed with fans meets a lonely hotel owner.


LONELY FANS is used with permission from David Oesch. Learn more at https://david-oesch.com.


Laurent is a wind turbine mechanic who travels around the country, fixing and maintaining the devices. It's a solitary life, but Laurent is very good at his job, thanks to his affinity for fans -- so much so that he makes them his companions at night.

But during one trip for his work, he stays the night at a small local hotel, run by Anais. When they have dinner together, Anais takes a special interest in Laurent, and Laurent seems intrigued by her as well. But any further intimacy would mean changing his ways and making room in his life and bed for another person, even for a night.

Directed by David Oesch and written by Sandra Moser, this quirky romance short opens with a set of quiet yet distinctive images, situating the narrative's hero within a unique occupation and milieu. Laurent travels among the small towns of Switzerland in the countryside, wind turbines looming over the picturesque towns. Laurent tends to these gigantic structures, exhibiting an emotional communion with them as he does his work. The visuals emphasize the solitary nature of both the man and his work, conveying a portrait of a singular personality and preoccupation -- for Laurent is also in love with fans in general, traveling with several of them in his car and arranging them lovingly in his bed when he sleeps.

But when Laurent settles into a hotel for a time, the film shifts from an atmospheric, eccentric character portrait into a idiosyncratic romance, especially as the character of world-weary yet seductive Anais comes to the fore. Anais is a far earthier character than Laurent, and though she finds him a "weirdo," she doesn't let his shyness or awkwardness put her off from subtly flirting with him. Laurent, too, seems both intrigued and scared of Anais. Yet he has a competing obsession, conveyed in a lyrical yet very funny sequence of private romantic reverie.

Much of the dialogue is functional, with much of the character and humor coming from the indelible images and richly written characters. Actors Kacey Mottet Klein and Maria Rebecca Sautter as Laurent and Anais, respectively, are both understated, precise and funny, with Klein's seriousness about his job and his beloved fans bringing an understated comedy to the fore. Anais lets nothing get in the way of what she wants, including the presence of Laurent's fans. Her willingness to accept Laurent's predilections leads to a moment of genuine sweetness and possibility -- one that overloads the circuits of electricity, both actual and metaphorical.

When the power goes out and the fans stop, it propels LONELY FANS into a final romantic sequence that's both absurd, strange and yet oddly beautiful. It ends Laurent and Anais's narrative on a memorable note, one as wistful and whimsical as the characters themselves. Quiet, droll and offbeat, LONELY FANS is a sweetly hopeful film, conveying a corner of the world where even the oddest, most solitary souls can find acceptance, appreciation and attraction, despite -- or in fact because of -- their eccentricities.